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“Thank you!” the cashier smiled at them as she handed Taehyung the bill.
“No, thank you,” Taehyung replied, bright and friendly. Jeongguk followed with a small bow and a cordial smile of his own.
The cashier cleared her throat as the two boys stepped forward to collect their bagged groceries. “One second please,” she said bashfully and slid a small piece of paper to Taehyung. The polite, inquiring smile on Jeongguk’s lips slipped as soon as he peered over Taehyung’s shoulder.
“Very flattered, but I’m sorry,” Taehyung responded kindly, charming even in his apology.
“But why?” the girl asked, blushing furiously but determined nonetheless.
“Because,” Jeongguk levelled her a fixed look and slid the piece of paper and the numbers on it back to the her, “he’s already taken.” He took Taehyung’s hand in his very obviously.
A sudden feeling of alarm and panic stole over him when the girl’s eyes widened in understanding and she began spluttering profusely, completely tongue-tied.
“Ah, no no! Chill! It’s cool!” Jeongguk squeaked, facing turning as red as the cashier’s. He gathered the two-hands-worth grocery load in his free-hand and power-walked out of the store, Taehyung’s muted chuckling only causing him to feel more embarrassed with every passing moment.
“Shut up,” Jeongguk commanded once they had exited the store. His useless threat went unnoticed because Taehyung squatted down and burst into loud laughter, the force of it rendering him unable to stand up and walk.
“Shut up, hyung,” Jeongguk repeatedly weakly. “This isn’t funny.”
“No, this is hilarious!” Taehyung informed him breathlessly. “You told her to back off and then got shocked with what you’d done!” Taehyung clapped his hands gleefully. “Your face! I couldn’t tell who was more embarrassed, you or her!”
“Help me with these groceries, will you?” Jeongguk tried to get his quivering boyfriend to stop collapsing face-front on the floor, while he cringed internally at whatever had come over him back in the store. People were always looking for a chance with Taehyung, eyeing him longingly in the school corridors and slipping confessions and chocolates in his lockers. But they stopped there because they knew better.
Taehyung finally stood up on still shaking legs and collected a bag from Jeongguk and asked teasingly, “So, you want to talk about that macho man stunt you pulled there?”
“Can we not talk about it?”
“No, can’t not talk about it.”
“Stop laughing.”
Taehyung forced his mouth shut.
“You’re still giggling.”
“You asked me to stop laughing.”
“Look hyung, I had no idea what happened,” Jeongguk said miserably. “I think I forgot that not everyone in the world knows we’re together...”
Taehyung was back to laughing open-mouthed. “Stop!” Jeongguk whined. “Don’t tell me that doesn’t happen to you too!”
Taehyung considered the questioned with a tilt of his head. “I guess. I mean we do spend one too many evenings shopping for groceries for my dad so that he can make us dinner, so you'd expect everyone to know how disgusting we are...” Taehyung’s lips curled into a devilish smile again, “But still! It wouldn’t shock me like it happened with you. Oh my god you should have seen your face!”
The two boys reached Taehyung’s house with Taehyung chuckling all the way and Jeongguk demanding him to “stop already” and both of them pushing and shoving at each other, with no regard for the state of the goods inside the plastic bags.
“Appa, eomma! Guess what Jeongguk did today!” Taehyung exclaimed as soon as they stepped in.
Taehyung and Jeongguk’s legs were attacked by Taehyung’s little siblings at once. “What did Jeongguk oppa do? What did Jeongguk oppa do?” Taehyung’s sister asked eagerly.
Jeongguk groaned. As if it was not enough that Jeongguk’s family always backed Taehyung up in teasing Jeongguk, Taehyung’s family also ganged up against Jeongguk when it came to embarrassing him. And Taehyung’s family had one more member than Jeongguk’s!
“Sorry, I’m not dropping this anytime soon,” Taehyung said and kissed Jeongguk apologetically on the cheek.
Taehyung recounted the story to each member of his family and then once more when everyone was seated together for dinner. Once everyone was done laughing heartily at Taehyung re-enacting the scene with his own nonsensical additions (Jeongguk was sure he had not brandished chopsticks threateningly in the cashier’s face nor had he ordered her to “avert your eyes!”), Taehyung’s father questioned, “Aigoo, what happened to our shy, soft-spoken Jeonggukie?”
“He still is like that,” Taehyung confirmed fondly and lifted his and Jeongguk’s intertwined hands from under the table and placed them on the table.
Taehyung’s mother asked with a happy smile, “Oh but do you remember how terrified he was two years ago when he came over for dinner the first time?”
~~~
“Hey,” Taehyung spoke into the head of black hair he had planted his face into. “Wow, your hair smells good.”
Jeongguk tilted his head backward to see his boyfriend leaning over his face. “Thanks,” he grinned. “And hey.”
“Okay, I’m going to get out of here before you guys start getting revolting,” Jimin announced, shaking Taehyung out of his daze where he had been smiling dumbly at Jeongguk.
“Hey, no wait-” Taehyung began
But Jimin was already scrambling away, loudly calling out, “Hoseok sunbae! Please tell me I can sit with you and eat my lunch! Please!”
Taehyung and Jeongguk looked away from Jimin with pink cheeks when Hoseok, Jimin’s dance club sunbae, looked in their direction and nodded understandingly at Jimin.
“You’d think people would get used to it by now, but...” Taehyung shrugged his shoulder and bit into his lunch.
“Yeah, I mean it’s been a couple of months,” Jeongguk agreed with a soft smile and a quick glance at the boy seated in front of him.
“Oh, that reminds me!” Taehyung swallowed the food in his mouth before continuing, “Dinner at my place tonight.”
“Cool,” Jeongguk replied, pleased that with the idea of a stay-in date. “I’ll get pizza or do you want Korean food?”
“You don’t have to get anything,” Taehyung chuckled. “My dad’s cooking.”
“What!” Jeongguk nearly squirted his strawberry milk out of its carton. “You-your dad’s going to be there?”
Taehyung smiled his famous box smile. “Yes, and so will my mom and my brother and sister...”
“Wh-why?” Jeongguk stuttered because he had only gone over to Taehyung’s when they had the place to themselves.
“Because they live there?” Taehyung giggled. “And also because they really really want to meet you.”
“Oh. My. God.” Jeongguk whispered. “Ohmygodohmygodohmygod!”
“Whoa whoa, calm down, Jeongukkie,” Taehyung put his fork down and reached for the frantic boy's hands. “It’s no big deal.”
“How is not a big deal? I’m going to be meeting The Boyfriend’s Family!”
“But I’ve already met your family and I’ve come over for dinner so many times. It’s nothing to freak out over.” Taehyung looked quizzically at Jeongguk wondering if he should have freaked out back then.
“That’s because you’ve probably had dinner with everyone’s family!”
Jeongguk was being ridiculous. There definitely were a couple of seniors who had not invited Taehyung over for dinner. But he also knew how shy Jeongguk got around new people, especially if those people were fully functioning adults or little children. And here Taehyung was asking Jeongguk to meet people who belonged to both the categories.
“Jeonggukie, it’ll be fine-”
“No, no! What if I wear the wrong clothes? Or what if your dad asks me something and I don’t know the answer?” Jeongguk clasped his mouth shut and muttered frantically, “Oh my god what if your little sister or brother ask me something and I don’t know the answer!”
Taehyung laughed to himself, trying to imagine Minjae or Chanmi grilling Jeongguk. “They’ll just ask you stuff about yourself because they want to get to know you. Nothing out of the ordinary. The farthest anyone will get is Minjae asking you what you would get if you added five oranges and two apples or something like that.”
“Math is my weakest subject!”
“Jeon Jeongguk. Nobody’s going to care if you can’t answer their questions. Even if they happen to be about simple arithmetic. They just want to see the man of my dreams for real,” Taehyung chuckled and wiggled his eyebrows enthusiastically.
“Shut up.”
“No seriously. I think my dad suspects I’m lying and have photoshopped our pictures or something. He just has this I-don’t-believe-it look every time I talk about you. About us.”
Jeongguk may be a bit withdrawn and shy but there was no way he was going to be written off as someone’s delusion. And he would have to meet Taehyung’s family some day. Jeongguk would be perfectly happy if his first meeting with Taehyung’s family occurred briefly during their wedding. But Taehyung had different plans and Jeongguk loved him, so he finally acquiesced. He chugged his strawberry milk, set the carton down on the table and declared timidly, “Alright. Let’s do this.”
*
“Jeonggukie’s here!” Taehyung called into the house as he pulled Jeongguk into his arms the minute he opened to door to let his terrified-looking boyfriend in.
“Hi, I love you. You look good. Really good. And smell good too.” Taehyung sniffed Jeongguk’s head and asked, “Seriously, what shampoo do you use?” before pecking Jeongguk’s lips with brief kisses without having to worry about grossing out their friends. Jeongguk hugged Taehyung back tight, receiving every bit of the affection being showered on him.
“What are you doing?” someone asked and Jeongguk froze, embarrassed that his first encounter with Taehyung’s family had been when someone had walked in on them canoodling.
“Welcoming Jeonggukie,” Taehyung said easily, completely not-mortified.
“Oh?” The little girl’s face broke into a smile identical to her brother’s and she ran forward excitedly. “I should do it too then!”
Jeongguk squawked, alarmed when Taehyung lifted his sister in his arms and brought her closer to him. Jeongguk slapped a hand over his lips, not liking where this was headed. Taehyung chortled loudly and said, “Chanmi-yah, only Jeongguk’s boyfriend gets to welcome him like that. You can welcome him by introducing yourself. And Jeongguk you can stop covering your lips.”
As Jeongguk lowered his hand and shook it with Chanmi after her polite introduction he could not help but feel frightened because this was just the beginning.
After Jeongguk followed Taehyung and Chanmi into the house, the man setting the table smiled at him and noted, “Ah he is real!”
“So you did think I was making stuff up!” Taehyung exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at his father.
His father smiled sheepishly. “It’s your fault. The kind of stuff you kept saying about him made us think he was quite unreal.” He looked at Jeongguk and spoke, “Tae’s crazy about you, you know.”
Jeongguk smiled, feeling flustered and whispered to Taehyung, “I’m crazy about you too.”
It was only when Taehyung’s father smiled amusedly and said, “Well, I’m very flattered, Jeongguk,” that Jeongguk realised he had said the words loudly and with his eyes still nervously transfixed on Taehyung’s father.
“No! That’s not what I meant! I’m crazy about hyung!” Jeongguk responded immediately but felt it probably sounded mean so he amended. “Not that I’m not... can’t be crazy about you, abeoji!”
The members of the Kim family burst out laughing while Jeongguk prayed to the Earth to swallow him whole.
“What did we miss? What did we miss?” Taehyung looked up, wheezing as his mother and brother almost ran into the room. “Sorry we’re late! But we’re starving! Oh hey, Jeongguk. Sup?”
“Eomma, don’t “oh hey, sup” Jeongguk. You’re not on those terms yet,” Taehyung told his mother, trying to divert her attention from his anxious boyfriend.
“Pfshh,” she waved him off. “We’ll get there real soon, won’t we, Jeonggukie?” she questioned and led Jeongguk by the hand to his chair, not bothering to change out of her work clothes or yell at her children to wash their hands before eating for heaven’s sake.
Taehyung sat next to Jeongguk on the other side. “See, eomma's already enamoured.” Jeongguk nodded subtly, afraid that any vigorous motions would ward away Taehyung’s enamoured mother.
After all the food had been consumed (Taehyung’s father had insisted on making Jeongguk feel like a human stuffed toy) and after Jeongguk had dropped his fork only four times and had accidently drunk out of Taehyung’s mother glass of water only twice, Minjae the quietest member of the family spoke up.
“Jeongguk hyung, I have a question for you,” the boy said slowly and Jeongguk gulped when Minjae reached for an apple and an orange from the fruit basket and began rolling them in a threatening way on the table. At least Jeongguk found it threatening. Math really was not his forte.
“What if you had four oranges,” Minjae paused to throw the orange at a surprised Jeongguk who luckily caught it, “and I gave you four more apples,” this time Jeongguk was waiting for the apple that came flying at his face, “then how many oranges would you have?”
Jeongguk had this in the bag “Eight!” he half-yelled victoriously. That had gone pretty well. Phew.
Then Chanmi started giggling, “No, oppa, you’d still have four oranges. Your apples aren’t going to turn into oranges.” She lowered her voice and added in a whisper that everyone around the table heard, “unless your Transfiguration is good. But don’t tell the muggles.”
This had to be the worst thing that had ever happened to Jeongguk. Taehyung was super smart and came from a super smart family. What if his parents did not want him dating people who could not tell apples from oranges? And Jeongguk’s Transfiguration skills were non-existent, but Taehyung’s parents did not need to know that.
“He-he gave me a trick question,” Jeongguk mumbled miserably to his boyfriend.
“That was so cool!” Minjae started cheering, oblivious to Jeungguk’s mental trauma.
“That I flunked your little math quiz?” Jeongguk blinked at the little boy.
“What math quiz?” Minjae asked, confused, before continuing. “The way you caught those fruits. Excellent reflexes! That’s exactly what Chanmi and I look for in friends. You can play with us!”
“Oh. Well, thank you,” Jeongguk said, still embarrassed, but not as embarrassed as he was ten seconds ago.
“Minjae and Chanmi don’t let me play with them!” an excited Taehyung informed Jeongguk and kissed his temple, while Jeongguk tried not to look much like a startled bunny because Taehyung’s whole family was looking at them.
“Is that also something only Jeongguk oppa’s boyfriend can do?” Chanmi whined.
*
“That went well, didn’t it?” Taehyung asked as he walked Jeongguk to his house, glad that his boyfriend looked less frightened out of his mind after the dinner than he had before the dinner.
“I don’t know, I said and did a lot of dumb things,” Jeongguk cribbed.
“As a result of which my family loves you as much as I do. Which is a lot, by the way. Minjae and Chanmi have set up Quidditch matches with you, my mom turned into an embarrassing, cool parent for you and she never bothered to do that with me, and my dad’s already invited you over for dinner every Friday.”
Jeongguk conceded with a grin he could not hold back, “Yeah, it wasn’t that bad actually.”
“Freaking splendid, more like it,” Taehyung huffed. “Considering how close you were to wetting your pants.”
“Hey!” Jeongguk punched Taehyung on the arm. “It’s not like you’ve never been nervous, okay.”
“Me?” Taehyung asked, widening his eyes and gesturing to himself ostentatiously. “Nope. Never. Kim Taehyung. Cool as a cucumber. Confidence is my middle name.”
“Oh really?” Jeongguk countered just as exaggeratedly. “Do you remember the first time you told me you loved me?”
~~~
Taehyung was in love. Stupidly, madly, happily in love with his very remarkable boyfriend.
Okay, scratch happily. Taehyung was anxiously in love with his very remarkable boyfriend because his very remarkable boyfriend did not have a clue about how deep Taehyung’s feeling ran for him. So deep that Taehyung could not keep the little secret to himself anymore but was equally worried about scaring the younger boy away.
He had to tell Jeongguk. And he was going to be smooth and cool about it and Jeongguk was going to fall right back in love with him. A lot was riding on the right type of delivery.
Taehyung’s hands trembled and the food on his tray jumped about as he sat before Jeongguk. Time was of essence because Jimin would soon be joining them for lunch and Taehyung wanted to keep his confession between himself and Jeongguk only.
“Hey, how was chem?” Jeongguk asked with a cheerful smile and Taehyung’s heart whammed against his ribs. Taehyung still did know what classes followed what classes, but Jeongguk knew his time-table and always made it a point to wait for Taehyung outside the correct class with cupcakes on days he had dreadful subjects (English, English, English).
“Same as usual. Namjoon almost added water to acid again and Kang-seonsaeng yelled at him and the whole class for the rest of the period again,” Taehyung said as casually as he could even though his tangerine popped right out of his tray when he set it down in the table.
Jeongguk moved quickly and snatched the fruit just as it was at the edge of the table. Why could Taehyung not be cool like that when he needed it the most?
“So, I have something to tell you,” Taehyung said as Jeongguk began peeling the tangerine for him.
“Yeah?”
“I need you to look at me when I say it.”
Jeongguk set the fruit down, gave Taehyung a funny look and questioned, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” Taehyung took a deep breath. “So, the thing is... I, ahem, I... love yo-”
“Jeonggukie!”
Goddamnit, Park Jimin!
“Hello, Taehyung,” Jimin added carefully. For some reason, he was normally wary around Taehyung and it did not help that Taehyung was trying to vaporise him with his eyes now.
“Hi, Jimin hyung!” Jeongguk replied cheerfully to the only other boy in school he spoke to openly without any restraint.
Jeongguk then turned back to Taehyung and asked him to proceed, “Yeah, continue hyung, you were saying you love yo...?”
“Gurt. Yogurt. I love yogurt.”
“Right and you couldn’t say that without me looking at you?”
“My love for yogurt is very serious.”
Jeongguk chuckled, “Alright, you love yogurt seriously.” He asked Jimin, “Isn’t he cute, hyung.”
“Yes, very,” Jimin replied awkwardly while Taehyung’s brain rushed to formulate a new plan.
*
The universe had let Taehyung know that cool and casual was not the way to go. Jeongguk deserved more that an ambiguous “I love you” slipped in between conversation. This time Taehyung was going to be direct and purposeful and reassuring.
With that in mind, Taehyung knocked a bit too loudly on the classroom door. He opened it slightly and stuck his head in when a voice called, “Yes?”
“Seonsaeng-nim, may I speak to Jeon Jeongguk for a minute?”
“Jeon Jeongguk?” the teacher raised her eyebrows. “Are you in trouble?” she asked her student who had shrunk into his seat with the way everyone was staring at him.
“N-no, seonsaeng-nim. May I- may I be excused?” Jeongguk muttered, teeth gnawing at his lips. All he had wanted out of school was to attend his classes without anyone noticing his presence. Too bad the boy with the big, brown eyes and rectangular smile noticed his presence a bit too much.
“Make it quick,” the teacher nodded. Jeongguk scuttled out to discreet kissing noises his classmates by the door were making.
“What’s up?” Jeongguk asked, feeling red in the face and all over his body.
“Thought I’d get you out of math class for a bit,” Taehyung grinned. “You hate math, don’t you?”
“I do,” Jeongguk whispered. “But I have bio right now.”
Taehyung’s face fell. “I’m not too fond of it either,” Jeongguk supplied, touched by Taehyung’s gesture.
“Oh good!” Taehyung’s face lit up. Then turned a bit green. All within two seconds. “I also have to tell you something.”
“Couldn’t you have told me during lunch? Did you have to get me out of class for it? Oh my god! Did something happen?”
“No!” Taehyung said hastily. “I- this, what I have to say is above lunch-table conversation. This is more... dramatic.”
“Okay, shoot.”
Taehyung could feel the sweat down his back. “So, I love...”
No, this was wrong. It was too plain and simple. Taehyung had asked Jeongguk out in front of the whole school for crying out loud. His first “I Love You” could not be anti-climatic.
“...youNG FOREVER! I love Young Forever.”
“The restaurant?” Jeongguk was puzzled. His boyfriend had never mentioned that before. He sure was learning a lot about Taehyung today.
Taehyung nodded energetically. “Yes. I love it. And I’m taking you to dinner there tonight. Unless you have a lot of homework to do. In that case, we can always postpone-”
“I’d love to go,” Jeongguk cut in. “I’ve heard a lot about that place. I don’t have much work, but don’t you have that English test coming up?”
“I’ll manage,” Taehyung smiled and promised impossible things. But he could not fret over English now. He had some important calls to make.
*
“Totally worth the hype,” Jeongguk declared, patting his belly satisfactorily. “The food was yummy. And the music was great. Thanks, hyung.” He leaned over and kissed his boyfriend.
“There’s more,” Taehyung notified as the band got off the stage and began making their way towards their table.
“Oh?” Jeongguk muttered, wide eyes registering the approaching men.
Once the five men were close enough, one of them opened his mouth and let out a melodious, deep-pitched “Jeongguk”. He was quickly followed by the man to his right whose “Jeongguk” was a few notes higher. The third man’s “Jeongguk” was even higher. Then all five men were snapping and humming and swaying on their feet.
“Wow, what’s happening?” Jeongguk was simultaneously awestruck and shell-shocked.
The man in the centre sang. “We’ve got something to say.”
“Say say say,” some of the members echoed while the others kept up the snapping and humming.
“You should have seen it clear as day.”
“Day day day.”
“What, what should I have seen?” Jeongguk asked Taehyung worriedly.
Taehyung meanwhile was having his own set of worries. Calling in a favour to get the band to sing his confession in a cappella in the middle of a charming restaurant was one of the best ideas he had ever had. But he only just realised that the words he wanted Jeongguk to hear so badly would not be coming from him but from the mouths of five men who were strangers to Jeongguk. They were not in love with Jeongguk. Taehyung was.
Jeongguk seemed to have settled into the song, even swaying in sync with the singers. The part was coming up.
“Kim Taehyung is in-”
“A hurry to leave!” Taehyung sang, his deep loud voice bringing an abrupt pause to the performance.
The singers looked puzzled. One of them inquired suspiciously, “Taehyungie, what are you doing?”
“Sorry, Minho hyung,” Taheyung said hurriedly. He put down money to cover the bill, grabbed Jeongguk’s hands and rushed out, calling over his shoulder, “Thanks hyungs! That was beautiful!”
“Taehyungie hyung? Are you okay?” Jeongguk panted next to Taehyung. “You’ve been acting strange all day.”
When they had covered enough distance, Taehyung stopped to regain his breath. He looked up once he felt a bit more collected. Jeongguk was looking back at him, curious and tensed.
“I’ve actually been trying to tell you something all day,” Taehyung admitted.
“Yeah, I figured. Does this have something to do with those singer hyungs in the restaurant?”
“I’m quite scared, frankly speaking.”
“How do you know them? Are you living a secret double life?”
“Please don’t freak out or whatever. No, if you feel like freaking out, please freak out.”
“Oh my god, is “yogurt” a code word. Am I being inducted? Is that what you’ve been trying to tell me?”
Tired of talking over his boyfriend, Taehyung bellowed, “No, Jeongguk! I love you!”
Jeongguk looked taken aback at the sudden noise that Taehyung had created. He quickly regained his bearings and said slightly morosely, “Umm, okay, so you don’t lead a secret double life?”
Taehyung did not know how to react. “Jeongguk... I just told you that I love you. And-and you’re not freaking out...”
“Wait!” Jeongguk felt a light bulb turn on in his brain. “Is that what you’ve been trying to tell me all day? That you love me?”
“Yeah.” Taehyung shuffled on his feet.
“Why on earth would I freak out about that?”
“Because you’re a young freshman with the world ahead of him and I’m being all intense and scary and-”
“But I love you too?”
“You-you do?” Taehyung spluttered?
“You didn’t know?” Jeongguk asked disbelievingly.
Taehyung pointed out, “Well. You never said anything!”
“Oh.” Jeongguk blinked seriously before taking Taehyung’s hand and stating, “I just did now. And I’ll say it again. I love you, Taehyungie hyung. God your hands are so clammy!”
“Excuse me but I was worked up about being in a one-sided love story with the man of my dreams.”
“Shut up, hyung.”
“I felt like I’d shit my stomach out or something.”
“I repeat, shut up, hyung.”
“Jeonggukie, why do you not realise what a monumental occasion this is? My brain turned to mush. I have never been reduced to this state before.”
“I can recollect one such instance,” Jeongguk raised his chin and smirked at Taehyung. “Do you remember our first kiss?”
~~~
Saturday was going to be one of the best days of Taehyung’s life. Jeongguk was in the finals of a badminton tournament and he was going to win it and then Taehyung would slam him against the lockers in the dressing room and kiss the living daylights out of Jeongguk. He would slam him gently, of course.
His first kiss was going to be with the man of his dreams (“Shut up, hyung,” Jeongguk’s voice rang in his ears). How many people got that lucky? It was going to be fun and sweaty, cute and gross at the same time. Excellent.
Taehyung found Jeongguk speaking to Jimin by his locker when school let out. A couple of people called out “good lucks” to Jeongguk who shyly nodded and returned quiet “thank yous”. Taehyung would be lying if he said Jeongguk’s stupefaction at his new-found fame as their high school’s sports star did not amuse him.
“So, it finally comes down to Jaehyun and Yuna. Pick.” Jimin, the boy who always looked at Taehyung with suspicious eyes was demanding.
Jeongguk hummed as he took his own sweet time to empty his bag into his locker and refill it with the requisite books.
Jimin whined, “Stop stalling.”
“I’m not stalling. I need to think. This is a difficult one.”
“What’s difficult?” Taehyung asked with a smile as he helped Jeongguk stuff the last of his books into his bag.
“Uh, no-nothing,” Jimin spluttered, very obviously communicating with his eyes to Jeongguk to keep mum.
Jeongguk laughed at Jimin, “Taehyungie hyung’s not gonna care.” He turned to Taehyung and informed, “Jiminie hyung wanted to know which of my exes kissed the best.”
Taehyung’s jaw dropped.
Jeongguk asked, concerned, “Hyung?” Behind him Jimin was furiously mumbling, “See, you shouldn’t have told him! He’ll get pissed and break your heart and-”
Taehyung coughed, trying to snap out of his stunned state. “S-so, Jaehyun or Yu-Yuna?” he asked weakly.
Jeongguk smiled toothily at him before turning to reprimand Jimin. “He doesn’t care! You need to lay off him, Jiminie hyung. He’s not the evil douchebag from your favourite chick flicks.”
Taehyung really did not care that Jeongguk discussed his exes. But he did care that Jeongguk had exes. And exes he kissed! How do barely-fifteen year olds with natural athletic ability find the time to do all that between homework and training?
High school was supposed to be Jeongguk’s gateway to romance and Taehyung was going to steer him through it, but Jeongguk had already gone and done some romancing of his own that Taehyung did not even know till that moment. Not that Taehyung had asked.
But exes meant experience. It meant their first kiss was not going to be a fumbly, confusing and cute tale to tell the grandkids but a sad event after which Jeongguk would call Jimin and notify him that Taehyung was the worst kisser of all the dozen people he had kissed.
If Taehyung had known that the lost boy who had wandered into the badminton court on his first day came with exes and kissing experiences then Taehyung would have practised more on the back of his hand. Or something.
*
“Hyung, you better have what you promised me if I win this, okay? I’m looking forward to it!” Jeongguk told him teasingly before tightening his shoelaces and heading over to his coach.
Right. The Taehyung of two days earlier had happily told Jeongguk that something exciting would be awaiting him after the match, so he better win it. The “no pressure” went unsaid because interschool badminton tournaments were quite below Jeongguk’s level. The Taehyung of two days earlier who believed that a world of magic would open up for them the second lips met lips.
But, here was Jeongguk, already at level expecto-patronum, while Taehyung who was two years older was still holding his hand over his broom and yelling “UP!” at it.
Taehyung considered running and getting Jeongguk something. But then he would miss the match. And Taehyung had never missed a moment of any of Jeongguk’s matches since he had met the boy. So he sat down and yelled the natural, “Fighting! Jeonggukie!” at appropriate intervals and squirmed in his seat the whole time.
*
“Good job, Guk, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jeongguk’s coach waved to his student and exited the locker room.
“See you tomorrow!” Jeongguk called back and then turned to Taehyung. They were the only ones in there now. “I won, hyung,” Jeongguk told Taehyung like he had not been hanging around Jeongguk’s neck the second Jeongguk had scored his final point.
“Yeah. Wow! Yay! I’m proud of you. Champ. Cool. Swag.”
Jeongguk smiled serenely at Taehyung. At this point in their relationship, Jeongguk understood Taehyungs’s disjointed sentences rather well.
“Where’s my gift, hyung?” Jeongguk asked.
A little squeak left Taehyung. He looked white.
“Hyung... you don’t look too good.”
“I’m fine,” Taehyung mumbled through almost-sealed lips. He was going to do it. He was going to kiss Jeongguk then run out, rush home, crawl under his blankets and have nightmares of Jimin sassily sing-songing, “I told Jeongguk to beware of bad kissers.”
“Please don’t laugh, Jeonggukie.”
“Uh, okay?”
“I need you to stand up.”
Jeongguk stood up, shiftily eying Taehyung who was taking painfully slow, measured steps towards Jeongguk. Taehyung held Jeongguk by the shoulders and walking him backward till his back hit the lockers.
“Please pretend I have slammed you against the lockers.”
“Why would I do-” Jeongguk asked but stopped when he saw Taehyung swallow hard and heard his heart beat loud. “Hyung, are you going to kiss me?”
“Yes.”
As soon as he said that Taehyung leaned forward and bumped his lip against Jeongguk’s. He quickly turned away to beat a hasty retreat.
He got two hurried steps towards the door before a firm grip closed around his wrist. “Hyung, we’re not done here”, was all the warning Taehyung got before Jeongguk pushed him against the lockers and joined their lips together, more firmly and for longer this time.
Jeongguk pulled away for a second, stepped closer to Taehyung till they were chest to chest and kissed him again.
Taehyung was dizzy. His head was spinning, his knees had stopped existing and his lips were moving in tandem with Jeongguk’s. Slippery but sweet and yielding.
He was riding proudly on his broomstick, golden snitch in hand and all.
When breathing became necessary Taehyung let go. He was going to have to start exercising to increase his lung capacity now.
“That,” he said, trying very hard not to pant, “was the best kiss of my life.”
“Same,” Jeongguk replied, sounding wonderstruck.
“Honestly?”
“Cross my heart.”
Taehyung pushed Jeongguk off him and jumped up, whooping for himself. “Take that Jaehyun! Take that Yuna!”
Jeongguk laughed. “Is that why you looked so scared? Because of what I was telling Jiminie hyung yesterday?”
Taehyung nodded. “This was my first kiss,” he admitted. “And you had all this knowledge and practice and favourite kissers and-”
“Stop,” Jeongguk giggled and shut Taehyung’s mouth. His voice was soft and full of feeling when he continued, “Hyung, it wouldn’t have mattered if the others were better kissers. Kises with you are going to be the best because you’re the best boyfriend. No competition. Twenty-one – love. Taehyungie hyung versus everyone else put together.”
Taehyung’s cheeks were hurting from how wide he was smiling. “Okay, thank god,” he said, voice muffled by Jeongguk’s palms. “Best boyfriend, huh? I could live with that,” he joked as Jeongguk shoved playfully at him and began packing his rackets.
Taehyung ran his hand through his hair. Phew. What a nerve-wracking experience. He collected the stray shuttlecocks and expressed his feelings to his boyfriend. “Gosh Jeonggukie I think I know what you must have felt like that day.”
“What day?” Jeongguk asked, even though he knew exactly what Taehyung was referring to. The mere mention of that day still made Jeongguk blush a ridiculous amount.
“ “What day”, huh?” Taehyung smirked. “My dear Jeonggukie, do you remember the day I asked you out?”
~~~
Jeongguk. Jeongguk. Jeongguk.
The freshman with the doe eyes and the reluctant, bunny smile was all Taehyung could think of. He had to do something about it. Things were getting out of hand not just with the way his mind and eyes kept wandering towards Jeongguk, but with the way his close friends, excited at the prospect of Taehyung finally, finally having a crush had taken to calling out greetings to Jeongguk in the corridors and buying him sweets in an effort to get chummy with him only to scare the poor boy out of his wits.
Taehyung’s grand plan was to make his way into Jeongguk’s heart through Jeongguk’s friend. Classic asking-out manoeuvre. Not that Taehyung had any experience in asking people out, but he had two younger siblings who were astonishingly well-versed in rom-coms.
With that in mind, Taehyung decided to befriend Park Jimin.
Park Jimin was in Taehyung’s grade but not friends with Taehyung. Which was surprising because Taehyung was friends with almost everyone at school and their mother. But what was more surprising was that Park Jimin was friends with Jeon Jeongguk, the adorable, timid kid who had turned into a monster during the school’s Sports Day and had set everyone’s hearts on fire overnight.
But Taehyung was there first.
When Taehyung saw Jimin the next time he could not help but feel slightly annoyed. Sure him and Jeongguk were close friends but did that really warrant him hugging Jeongguk tight like that sobbing into his-
Wait. Jimin was sobbing. Taehyung was going to be Jimin’s friend and stop him from crying and clinging on to Jeongguk like that.
“Is everything okay?” Taehyung murmured to Jeongguk who looked over Jimin’s head and gave Taehyung a sad smile and mouthed “break up”.
“Hey, Park Jimin,” Taehyung cooed. When the teary-eyed boy looked at him, Taehyung quickly added, “Can I get you some chocolate?”
Jimin narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “They help overcome sadness...” Taehyung offered cautiously.
Jeongguk slowly peeled Jimin off him and nodded gravely, “He’s right hyung.” He looked at Taehyung and thanked him sweetly for being so considerate before turning back to Jimin and encouraging him to accept the offer.
Jimin pouted aggressively. “What? But I don’t want-”
Jeongguk’s grateful smile was all that Taehyung needed. He bundled up Jimin in his arms (not on Jeongguk’s body anymore) and led him towards his locker while educating his sceptical classmate about the different happy hormones.
*
“Jeon Jeongguk.” Jimin was standing with folded arms at the school’s entrance and glaring at Jeongguk.
Uh oh. Jeongguk was sure Jimin would not notice that a box of Pocky was missing from his locker. (In Jeongguk’s defence that’s what you get when you give an ever-hungry, still growing boy your locker code. Not that Jimin would know, he had stopped growing).
“Hey hyung!” Jeongguk greeted extra cheerily. “I have to get to class now bye-”
“Not so fast.” Jimin stepped in Jeongguk’s way. Jeongguk tried not to look guilty.
“What,” Jimin began and took a deliberately menacing pause, “is the deal between you and Kim Taehyung?”
Oh. Phew.
But also. Oops. Blushing.
“We’re friends. I think?” Jeongguk said cautiously.
Jimin made an annoying buzzer sound. “Wrong. Because, A, I am your only friend. And, B, I don’t think Kim Taehyung wants to be only friends with you.”
Jeongguk raised his eyebrows questioningly.
“So, remember the other day when he dragged me off the get chocolates? It started off quite normally. Well, as normal as that boy gets. He was going on about endorphins and serotonin and some other fancy words when-”
“Wow. He’s smart too.”
The admiring gasp was supposed to be inaudible.
Jimin’s mouth snapped shut. And then it slowly opened again. “No, Jeongguk, no.”
“What?”
“You cannot have a crush on him!”
“Why not?” Jeongguk whined.
“Because the whole school has a crush on him!”
“My point. It’s so easy to like him.”
“No no no!” Jimin shook his head and hands vigorously. “You’ve got it all wrong. What it means is that he’s popular. Like super popular. He’s got everyone at his mercy.”
“It’s just a harmless crush, hyung.”
“Oh no, this is not harmless. Because Kim Taehyung has been asking me a lot about you. A lot. We never used to speak and now he’s suddenly, “how does Jeonggukie like his ramen?”, “who’s Jeonggukie’s favourite Power Ranger?”, “does Jeonggukie drool in his sleep?” I’m telling you, this attention does not bode well. He’s going to take you to some big party and then... ahem... deflower you and then win some bet with his other popular buddies."
Jeongguk shook his head and began walking away. Jimin got way too invested in those American movies and T.V. shows. And Jeongguk, while newer to the school, felt he knew Taehyung better than Jimin. They had accidently crossed each other’s paths on the first day and after that the crossing of paths began occurring not-so-accidently. What Jeongguk found out about Taehyung in the hours after school when it was just the two of them on the badminton court Jeongguk liked. A lot.
Kim Taehyung, the school’s sweetheart was adorable as he was kind. He had a loud laugh and a big heart. He received immense love and gave twice the amount in return. And he was a Potterhead. What a complete package.
“And then he’ll break your heart!” Jimin hollered after him.
“Who’s gonna break your heart?” Taehyung’s pleasantly deep voice suddenly asked from beside him.
Jeongguk stammered, “No-no one.” He turned and sprinted to his classroom.
*
“Jimin!” Taehyung expected the irked expression on Jimin’s face when he turned around. “I need your help-”
“Taehyung, we’ve been through this before. I will play no part in your attempt to woo Jeongguk. You’re on your own there.”
“Yeah thanks for that,” Taehyung replied sincerely. “At first I thought you were being deliberately unhelpful. But then I realised that in not assisting me you were actually teaching me to get closer to Jeongguk myself. I owe you one, Jimin.”
“That’s not-”
“So,” Taehyung clapped his hands excitedly and whispered, “I going to ask him out tomorrow!” Taehyung did a little jig on the spot to work out all the zeal coursing through his veins. For weeks Taehyung had been waiting for a sign telling him to make the next move on Jeongguk. So far, he had walked Jeongguk to his classes, attended his matches, had food with him on the same lunch table multiple times.
When they had parted ways, the previous day, after their bi-weekly chilling at the badminton court, Jeongguk had handed Taehyung a piece of folded notepaper, taken Taehyung’s hand in his, interlocked their fingers and given a small squeeze before turning and scampering away with pink cheeks.
The note had left Taehyung rooted to the spot.
I like my ramen soupy and tangy.
The Red Ranger is my favourite. By default.
I drool in my sleep on days I have training.
This was the sign Taehyung had been looking for.
“What?” Jimin gasped. “No! I refuse to partake-”
“Hey, Tae, you excited for the big day tomorrow?” A white arm came to rest across Taehyung’s shoulders.
“Very!” Taehyung replied enthusiastically to Yoongi. Yoongi was a senior who had made it his goal to be Taehyung’s high-school dad when he somehow found out that both of their families hailed from Daegu (if there was one thing that Taehyung knew about Yoongi was that the boy had excessive love for his hometown).
Yoongi had taken an avid interest in Taehyung ending up with Jeongguk because, “Look, everyone’s got an eye on that miracle kid. You better do something about it before someone else snatches him. We Daegu people do not sit around, waiting to concede defeat.” He had been the first of Taehyung’s friends to call out a greeting to Jeongguk in school, effectively causing a human traffic jam of sorts in the school corridors because it was not every day that seniors wished freshman good morning.
“And Jimin here is also going to help,” Taehyung said with a grin, gesturing to his classmate.
“Nice,” Yoongi smirked before holding out his right hand to Jimin. “Min Yoongi.”
“P-Park Jimin,” Jimin replied and shook the offered hand quickly.
“I’ll see you guys tomorrow then.” Yoongi tipped his imaginary hat and walked away.
Jimin’s eyes trailed after Yoongi till he was out of sight. He sighed and asked, “What do I have to do?”
*
Jeongguk’s thighs and arms were hurting. Practice that morning had been particularly gruelling. After that, he had to rush to school and sit at his desk almost all day without moving. They only saving grace was that it was a Thursday and he would get to hang out with Taehyung.
He pushed the door to the badminton court open and stepped inside. The darkness that greeted him surprised him. Taehyung always got there before him and he always turned on the lights.
“Taehyungie hyung, are you in here?” Jeongguk called out as he located the switchboard and switched on the lights. When he turned away from the switchboard and back towards the court he froze.
“There he is!”
“Man of the hour!”
Cheers were ringing. The badminton court, the least used part of the school’s sporting facilities was packed with students across all classes. Some waved to him, some shook pom-poms at him. But most of them were pointing towards the centre of the court.
Following their cue, Jeongguk’s eyes finally left the stands and moved towards where they had been gesturing.
“I wanted to keep this just between a couple of us. But people somehow found out and everyone wanted to be a part of it... and I couldn’t say no,” Taehyung smiled apologetically. He licked his lips, offered another smile and asked, “So what do you say?”
Jeongguk did not say anything. He collapsed on the floor and buried his face in his hands.
In the midst of the whole school, stood Taehyung and a couple of other people holding up boards which were bedecked in glitter and vivid colours. Each board had something written on it.
Kim Namjoon, the school’s head boy stood at leftmost spot. His board read: Jeon Jeonggukie,
Beside him stood Jung Hoseok, the school’s dance team captain. the man of my dreams,
Smiling prettily next to him was Kim Seokjin, the senior who had played the lead in the school play. will you
To his right was Min Yoongi, the student everyone suspected of being the rising, evasive rapper Agust D. go out
He was followed by Jimin. Jeongguk’s oldest friend. Jeongguk’s best friend. with me
At the end of the line stood Taehyung himself, grinning cheekily under his board which bore a dazzling “?”
Jeongguk did not dare to look up. He could not handle having more than four people looking at him on a daily basis (when he was not on the court that is) and here was the whole student body watching him as he tried to hide his glowing red face in his arms. He wanted a blanket to wrap around himself and a pillow to squeal into because Taehyung, Kim Taehyung, had just asked him out!
Why did emotions have to overwhelm Jeongguk like this? Why could they not treat him like they normally treated other people?
Jeongguk heard a board or two being dropped somewhere. Footsteps were approaching him. Murmurs filled the space. Above his head, he heard Jimin whisper, “I told you this was a bad idea!”
“Jeonggukie, I’m sorry,” Taehyung pleaded as fingers danced nervously around Jeongguk’s shoulders. “I wanted to do something fun and cute. I didn’t mean to scare you-”
“Yes.”
“Sorry, come again?” Taehyung was puzzled.
“I said,” Jeongguk muttered, hands still covering his face. “Yes, I will go out with you.”
Jimin gasped, “Holy shit.”
Taehyung’s voice rang out loud and joyful. “He said yes!”
The audience roared in celebration. Party-poppers were popped somewhere and whistles were being blown. All the board-holding students, besides Taehyung, were group-hugging each other, including a reluctant-looking Jimin.
And Jeongguk had his arms tight around Taehyung, taking in the solid feel of the boy in his arms who hugged him back with a suffocating intensity.
They did not have long however because soon Jimin was pulling them apart with a, “that’s enough, Kim Taehyung, I have my eyes on you.”
“Honoured, but sorry, I’m already seeing Jeonggukie,” Taehyung replied with a huge smile.
“Yah!” Jimin exclaimed, not amused. He threw his arms about and complained to nobody in particular. “I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe Jeonggukie’s going to get deflowered in a shady party. I can’t believe Jeon Jeongguk and Kim Taehyung are dating. I can’t believe they know each other. I can’t believe they even met each other.”
Jeongguk left Jimin to his fretting and turned to Taehyung with a full smile. “Do you remember how we first met?”
~~~
The first day of school had ended and Taehyung was exhausted. The day had passed by with scores of people talking to Taehyung at the same time, trying to catch up with everything that had happened over summer vacation in one go. Taehyung loved talking to people but first days got too much even for him and he craved some quiet. There was only once place to go.
The school’s badminton courts were used only thrice a week by the school’s badminton team after school and by nobody else on the other days. On the days it was supposed to be vacant, Taehyung occupied it, lying spread-eagle on the cool floor and using the moment to just breathe in and breathe out life for a while before he had to pick himself up and make his way to the nearest bus-stop.
And the naps he had there always yielded the best dreams. Like the one he was having currently.
Soft lights were blinking over him. A hesitant, unseen voice asked, “This is the badminton court, right?”
“This is whatever you want it to be,” Taehyung replied to the voice.
“Uh, I think this is definitely the badminton court.” The voice grew nearer and was followed by a face and body.
“Well, hello, man of my dreams,” Taehyung warmly greeted the tall, handsome boy who stood before him.
“This isn’t a dream. I think?”
“Pinch me.”
“What?” Jeongguk asked, horrified.
The boy who had been lying on the floor sat up and continued smiling dopily at him and repeated with an outstretched arm, “Pinch me. That way we can tell if this is a dream.”
Jeongguk did not like the sound of that. But he was new and from a very different city where people did not do such things with people they had just met. Believing that this was one of the many things he had to learn about his new school, he reached forward and tweaked a bit of flesh on the boy’s forearm.
“Ow!” the boy howled and began rubbing at the spot that had been pinched. “What did you do that for?”
Jeongguk started to panic. “Because you told me to! To test if you were dreaming.”
“Whoa” the boy blinked. “I can’t believe this isn’t a dream. You’re too good-looking to be real.”
Yeah, you’re one to talk, Jeongguk thought as something began swirling in his stomach.
“You play badminton, huh?”
“Yes,” Jeongguk nodded briefly. “And you?” Jeongguk questioned nervously. Jeongguk did not make conversation. Why was he making conversation?
“Quidditch,” the boy told him seriously. “But only if my sister and brother let me.”
Potterhead. Nice.
“Oh, what position?”
Taehyung was momentarily taken aback at the question. This was the first time someone had continued this line of conversation with him.
“I always get made Keeper but I secretly want to be a Seeker,” he confided.
“I play Seeker,” the new boy smiled, slightly less shy and slightly more cheeky.
“My name is Kim Taehyung.”
“Jeon Jeongguk.”
“Freshman, right?” Taehyung asked although he knew the answer.
“Yep. Also new to the city.”
“How’s that treating you?”
“Not bad so far,” Jeongguk shrugged. “I have a hyung who goes here and he’s been helping me out. He had to go to the dance club after school so he couldn’t show me around the badminton courts and tell me the schedule.”
“Ah, I can be of help. The school badminton team practises here after school on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. You can come by then and talk to the coach. He’s really friendly and always looking for fresh talent.”
“Thank you. So... I’ll... go now,” Jeongguk made a small bow of gratitude before heading back out.
“Jeongguk,” Taehyung’s voice stopped him. “And on Mondays and Thursdays you may probably find me here. If I feel like it.”
“Alright.” Jeongguk could not help the little smile that pulled at his lips.
Taehyung made up his mind to be one hundred percent present after school at the court on Thursday while Jeongguk decided to wander by the same location on the same day at the same time.
The same thought played on the minds of both the boys once they found themselves alone again.
“Will he remember this?”
